Guitar Amplifier Electronics: Circuit Simulation

Guitar Amplifier Electronics: Circuit Simulation is a step-by-step tutorial for simulating vacuum tube guitar amplifiers using LTspice, a free SPICE-based electronic circuit simulator for Windows and macOS. The book walks you through the basics of developing a schematic, setting up a simulation, integrating vacuum tube models, and interpreting the results. From there it gradually ramps up to advanced topics, like analyzing the dynamics of overdrive and writing new SPICE models for triodes and power tubes. With this book, you will learn how to
1. simulate the amp as a complete system, from guitar-in to speaker-out,
2. measure signal level and frequency response at any point in the amplifier,
3. determine tone stack frequency response for a range of control positions,
4. quantify how much a circuit loads down its driving stage,
5. measure true RMS output power for a power amp,
6. compute a power supply's DC output voltage under any load condition,
7. test negative feedback for single-ended and push-pull power amps,
8. determine the feedback resistor value for a desired closed-loop gain,
9. simulate real-world components,
10. integrate new tube models into LTspice,
11. read and write SPICE code to add your own components,
12. translate data sheet specifications into a new triode AC model,
13. write an improved model for 12AX7 grid current and use it to measure the dynamics of harmonic distortion, and
14. analyze transient behavior when a preamp or power amp is overdriven, including changes in the effective grid bias.

Richard Kuehnel is a member of the Circuits and Systems Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.